


A Knight's Duty

by lesboinspace



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF Haruno Sakura, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Swords & Sorcery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 15:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18236483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesboinspace/pseuds/lesboinspace
Summary: Granted to the Hyuuga family as a baby, Sakura is raised with the purpose of protecting Princess Hinata.  When the young girls' bond blossoms into something more, their love leads to more dangers for both of them.





	A Knight's Duty

**Author's Note:**

> My finished fic for @gaynarutozine on Tumblr :D  
> I'm on there with the same name as here, so feel free to throw some prompts my way!!

Once upon a time, on the Island of Leaves, two kingdoms ruled over the vast greenlands. The Hyuuga were mystifying peoples, their eyes pale as moonlight and seemingly empty, though in truth they could see beyond the realm of reality: any omitted magic was revealed to them, along with any soul's inner gauges, the potential pumping through every vein. Their strengths were subtle yet deadly, fighting with energy of a balanced mind and gaining power in twilight. 

While the Hyuuga’s style was not dependent on an internal blaze, the Uchiha warriors relied on passionate torches crackling inside of them, offered a buff during daylight. Skills of fire and illusions were seldom shadowed, their bestial ferocity unlike anything the world has ever experienced since, leaving numerous scars on the earth from scathing sieges. Although both kingdoms had settled on peace decades ago, each new generation was ready to strike once more, prepared to keep the other in line as their ancestors had. 

The Hyuuga were sensible and preferred serenity, but were always willing to duel when necessary to preserve themselves from the brutes next door. While the Uchiha may have been brash, they did not enjoy throwing their fighters into the fires of hell so easily like some believed. Nevertheless, the lack of discourse between them had done little to ease either side's skepticism. 

As the Uchiha expanded their inner arsenal with new techniques, the Hyuuga scrutinized every possible text not lost to time that contained strategies and advantages while adding their own revisions. Their intense studying led the kingdom to discover an ancient source of power: the Diamond of Indefinity. Anyone born with this forehead mark harbored inhuman abilities even amongst this fantastical era, ranging from incredible strength to miracle healing, and sometimes both. 

However, the seal was rare, and if its wielder didn’t face any sort of intense distress, it faded away within five solar rotations. This discovery urged the Hyuuga into immediate action as they announced to the public that if a child bore the diamond, they must be turned over to them at once. A dozen were handed over, and though each set of parents cried upon returning to their humble homes, they didn’t despise the monarchy. 

Pain may have plagued their hearts for a long while, but the civilians believed in their rulers and what they stood for. The Hyuuga were gentle and calm, unlike those monstrous Uchiha, who surely would’ve stripped babies from the arms of pleaing parents if the mark were discovered on their offspring. The king and queen greeted each pair with eyes as desolate as the parents’ own, and they expressed their immense appreciation for this sacrifice. 

These mothers and fathers would never see their children again, but it was okay. Those few gifted at birth were the kingdom’s secret weapon against the Uchiha, after all. It was a necessary offering. The Hyuuga had shifted their focus on upping protection for the royal family, as the current rulers’ first child was on the way, which strategists viewed as an opportunity for the Uchiha to pounce. When it was confirmed that the queen was pregnant, the commoners danced in the streets, but the Hyuuga had little time to celebrate.

Their need for more gifted soldiers increased, as they wished to guard the coming youth but couldn't spare any from the limited battalion. Luckily, a fortnight before Princess Hinata was born, a baby girl named Sakura was brought before the royal court, bearing the brand. She was almost a full celestial cycle old, but the royal court was so relieved at her arrival that they ignored how her parents hadn't brought the blessed baby right away, as was customary. 

The girl's tardiness was overlooked, and it was decided that she would serve as the newborn's personal knight as well as a friend, given their close ages. Sakura was tasked with bearing responsibility over not just Hinata’s well-being, but also her happiness. Tsunade, the eldest of the diamond bearers, began training the newest recruit soon as Sakura could grip a weapon. 

When the princess was born, everyone in the kingdom melted at the sight of her, even the royals who’d known only war tactics and paranoia. Amongst them all, it was decided as Hinata gawked up at them with innocent eyes that this girl was to be given a better life than one full of worry and preparations for war. 

For as long as they could, the Hyuuga would offer Hinata her youth, a time to enjoy herself before facing what couldn’t be avoided. The tacticians were sure that a war was soon to come. Sooner or later, the Uchiha would be at their walls. They knew that the princess must be made to understand her enemies next door, yet they were set on omitting the more vigorous obligations ahead of her. 

Instead, Sakura would face merciless training in the princess’ stead, breaking her body over and over again with each new lesson. Sakura’s purpose was to give Hinata anything she wished for in tandem with protecting her. She was to be molded into whatever the princess needed her to be. From holding hands as Sakura guided the princess down steps to yelling at cooks who’d given Hinata too hot of a plate, Sakura took her role very seriously. 

She adored Hinata, not merely because she was instructed to, but because she was the only one who treated Sakura like a person and not a tool. Since both girls were never to be separated, Hinata would observe Sakura's training sessions with Tsunade and the other soldiers bearing the diamond. Hinata’s cherub cheeks would be soaked in sympathetic streaks at the end of each practice, devastated over the mutilations inflicted onto her companion. 

Tears dripped along Sakura’s beaten skin as Hinata tended to the soldier’s wounds even when instructed not to. Part of Sakura’s gift was her healing prowess, so the next phase of her training was to aid herself. The young girl was a marvel, her natural talent combined with a warrior’s spirit. While Sakura had no problem mending her wounds, she allowed Hinata to take care of her. She’d told herself that it was to help the princess cope, but Sakura adored Hinata’s kindness and let herself be tended to unnecessarily. 

Despite Sakura’s enjoyment of the care, it was true that it helped Hinata as well. The princess felt so guilty over Sakura having to suffer because of her, left with no choice but to be beaten and serve at Hinata’s side, losing her family along with her free will. Each heartbreaking scene had hurt Sakura more than the damage she’d obtained. “You're my family,” she'd say, hugging the princess tight even as Sakura’s maimed skin stung like an Uchiha’s flame. 

While Sakura was consoling her princess after one particularly gruesome session, devastated by Hinata’s sorrow, the knight cupped Hinata’s face and brought their foreheads together. “It is my duty to die for you, to ache on your behalf. I will bear it all because I love you. I do not mind the pain.” The knight's words were intended to console the princess, but they only disturbed her further. Shaking her head free, Hinata pressed her lips to Sakura's split ones. 

“If you love me,” the princess whispered as she’d broken the kiss, her cheeks glowing red, “I want you to live for me. Tell me that you'll become more than my guard one day.” Just as Sakura had moments before, Hinata grasped the warrior's face. Sakura had never seen such fierce determination in the princess’ gaze. Still in shock, the knight could only stare with wide eyes at Hinata, though she did note how the intense look suited her princess. 

Hinata was hardly trained in combat, for she was to feel no pain whatsoever. Her protection laid entirely on Sakura's shoulders, but maybe the innocent princess was more suited to battle than anyone else had realized. The epiphany only made Sakura love Hinata even more. Once her daze had settled, the knight grinned larger than she'd ever had in her short, painful life. “I promise to be your queen one day, just as you will be mine.”

Four years later, the night after Hinata's eighteenth birthday, her and Sakura were far from their respective bed and cot (though the knight would join her princess, snuggling in secret when the lights faded). For the first time in each of their lives, the women, recently entering into adulthood, were beyond the Hyuuga's walls. Hinata's sole wish to her protector was to be outside of the gates for a short while, and a small forest laid between the enemy lands. 

Although the dedicated knight had clashed with the eternal lover inside of her, Sakura had decided on following the path of the latter. After all, she was trained to protect Hinata and was more than capable of this. She was confident in her abilities and deservingly so: almost two decades of merciless training had led Sakura to become second only to Tsunade. Besides, while she was designated to shield Hinata, Sakura had also been tasked with her happiness. How could she refuse the princess’ plea to be beyond the walls for a little while?

It had taken an hour for everything to go wrong. The pair had traversed the trees and bushes with glee, in awe of the novel surroundings. They'd stumbled upon a small river, where Hinata began to dance on the water in the way only a Hyuuga could. Sakura observed the mystifying movements with a racing heart, finding the princess far more beautiful than the recently encountered forest. In such a blissful state, the knight had failed to hear the tickled branches. 

Like lightning against the earth, Hinata was tackled to the ground as Sakura was seized from behind. An assailant had gripped Sakura's hair with one hand while locking the guard's arms behind her back with the other, imprisoning her as Hinata was pushed into the dirt. For several moments, Sakura hadn't fought back, her focus entirely on the second attacker holding Hinata down. 

While she’d been training all her life for this moment, Sakura froze. She was unable to breathe or look away from the cloaked figure entrapping the princess, her mind refusing to acknowledge the nightmarish image as reality. “Because of you, our daughter was taken from us. Now, we repay the Hyuuga in kind!” With the booming declaration, the female assailant hovering above Hinata drew a knife from her belt and raised it above the princess’ head. 

The following events occurred at a slowed speed for Sakura, whose fear-induced trance was broken when Hinata's scream struck her eardrums. Unable to draw her sword, the knight managed to slip out a small blade strapped to her thigh. In a flash, she freed herself by slicing her constrained locks from their base, taking the assaulter by surprise. Sakura immediately charged Hinata's attacker like a vengeful demon, launching herself into the cloaked figure. 

The two spiraled along the ground until the guard tapped into her remarkable strength and clenched the assailant’s wrists in a grip so intense that the color had already begun to fade from the stranger’s hands. After dealing a blow to the other attacker, who crumbled to his knees, Hinata sped to Sakura's side just as the knight yanked up the assailant's hood. The woman's seafoam green eyes widened at the clear view of the knight, the shade identical to Sakura's own. 

“Sakura, I-I...It really is you! After all these years, your father and I get to see you again.” The woman, identifying herself as Sakura's mother, began to tear up. The princess’ gaze darted between the two, her fingers grazing her lips in a nervous gesture. Sakura's form was unmoving, her eyes vast as she processed the information. Her mother, who'd smiled even as her wrists were being crushed, cried out when the hold intensified. 

“You may be my birthers, but the Hyuuga are my family. No one I could ever love would dare harm the princess. Even the the Uchiha would never attack in such a cowardly way.” Ready to perform her duty, Sakura ignored her mother's sudden desperation as she replicated the elder’s previous stance, the blade prepped to be lunged into her jugular. In spite of the deafening cries for mercy from both her parents, it was Hinata's meek plea that halted her knight's fatal strike. 

The princess’ eyes were misted with unshed tears as she placed her hand atop of her guard’s shoulder and crouched down beside Sakura. “We shall bring them to the castle. Their blood should not be spilt by you, and perhaps not at all.” Sakura stared at her princess in disbelief, a protest ready on her tongue. Noticing this, Hinata continued, “Let the royal court decide their fate. I would not be able to live with myself if I made you commit parricide.” 

Despite the knight's clear disagreement, Sakura hauled both of her parents to their feet and pushed them along like common criminals. The captured pair sobbed the entire trek back to the Hyuuga stronghold, but Sakura's countenance was devoid of sympathy in contrast to Hinata’s drooped frame as she eyed her knight with growing concern. 

Upon returning the castle and delivering her parents to the prison guards, Sakura informed them and the royals of what had occurred. Hinata had retreated to her quarters while the debriefing took place, her body wracked with sobs as she grieved her poor knight's services. Her parents had been furious, promising to enact judgment on Sakura when the sun released its first yawn. Until then, the guard's parents were to be punished without hesitation. 

Sakura witnessed the elder Harunos being hanged before the brightest star rose, undisturbed as the pair pleaded to their daughter while cursing the Hyuuga for turning her into a soulless monster. After returning to her shared chambers, a chill slithered down Sakura's spine and she suddenly felt faint. Her mind wasn't fretting over the death of her parents and her part in it. 

Rather, what terrified the knight was how complete she became as Hinata's fingers combed her hair, evening out the detached strands. It truly occurred to the guard in that moment how there was no line Sakura wouldn't cross for her princess. The epiphany disturbed as well as comforted her. “Everything I do is for you, my love.” Sakura couldn't help but voice this thought aloud, meeting Hinata's gaze in the mirror. 

“You know that, right? No matter what I must endure, I will keep you safe.” Once again, just like four years ago, Sakura meant for her princess to be eased by this. Sakura's genuine smile clashed with Hinata's crooked upturn of her lips. The princess held in an onslaught of tears as she turned her focus back to fixing Sakura's slashed hair. “Of course I do, my dear. How could I ever forget such a thing?”

When morning came, Sakura was scrutinized in front of the royal court, kneeling before her king and queen. Every detail of her crimes was presented: Not only had Sakura endangered the princess’ life by running off without a care, but the knight had been training Hinata to fight as well as engaging in some sort of romantic relationship. 

The princess had been forced to defend herself while Sakura was preoccupied with subduing her mother, and the two wouldn’t have dared to leave the castle if Sakura’s obscene emotions hadn’t clouded her judgment. Hinata’s parents expressed as much anger as a Hyuuga ever could. The guard listened to the enraged rulers in silence, her eyes downcast and body still as stone. 

She would accept her punishment with pride, befitting her warrior’s heart, for she had no regrets about loving the princess. It was only when the knight was sentenced to death that Hinata found the courage to speak as she defended Sakura. To the court’s surprise, her voice was not meek nor did it waver. After a passionate argument, the Hyuuga realized that they couldn't resist giving into the desires of the only child, though their decision was swayed just enough to spare Sakura's life. 

Instead of death, she would spend her remaining days imprisoned. This, of course, was not enough for Hinata, but she was ignored as the disgraced knight was dragged to her permanent cell. As she was led towards her new fate, the knight and the princess locked eyes. In an instant, they knew that it would not end this way for them. They refused to be separated.

When stars graced the sky, Hinata tiptoed from her chambers to the prison. She swiftly defeated the guards surrounding Sakura, who were too taken aback by her first display of technique to react. The lovers fled the castle once again, though this time they had no intention to return. For days the women trekked towards the Uchiha’s borders, hoping against all that they've been taught that their enemies would accept them as refugees. 

The two were discovered by patrols and brought before the rulers of the Uchiha’s land upon discovering Hinata's identity. It didn't take long for the lovers’ philosophies to unravel: The Uchiha were far from the monstrous beasts they'd been told about since childhood. Given that there were two kings, one being Sasuke, the heir to the throne, and the other, Naruto, an orphan that the prince had fallen in love with, the ruling couple was sympathetic to the women's plight.

They were accepted with far more ease than expected, and were even wed under the blessings of the kingdom. However, it didn't take long for the Hyuuga to discover the escapees’ whereabouts with the power of their almost omniscient, seeking eyes.  
The war that was looming between the two kingdoms was finally among them, though Hinata and Sakura were fighting on the opposite side. With a new home and establishment of their love, the princess and the knight were ready to face the future together.


End file.
